Determinators of clinical outcomes in patients with chronic arthritis and systemic connective tissue disorders: COVID-19 pandemic focus
Abstract
Introduction. Early diagnosis and treatment improve
clinical outcomes, especially in chronic arthritis (CA) and
systemic connective tissue disorders (SCTD). Thanks to
clinical research from the 1990s on and innovative drugs, 55
million life-years have been saved. The COVID-19 pandemic
brought on medical challenges in rheumathology.
Objective. The study objective was to research early
diagnosis, time of the introduction of innovative therapy, participation
in clinical research, influence of gender, age, and
corticosteroid treatment on hospitalization rate due to COVID-
19 infection in CA and SCTD patients.
Method. In November 2022 we performed the crosssectional
study in CA and/or SCTD patients using an online
questionnaire. The first part of the analyzed questions referred
to sociodemographic characteristics and data concerning
rheumatic disease - rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other
rheumatic diseases. The second part referred to COVID-19.
Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Pearson’s
Chi-square test using SPSS 29.
Results. Out of the total of 176 participants, RA was
present in 60,8%. The time from the symptom onset to diagnosis
was longer than two years. RA was more frequently
diagnosed in the first six months (p < 0,05 - males). The innovative
therapy was used by 59,7% of the participants. The
majority of RA patients got innovative therapy after five
years from disease onset, which is later than in other CAs
(p < 0,05 - females). There were 23,3% of the participants
who took part in clinical research, more those with RA (p <
0,05 - females). Corticosteroid therapy influenced a higher
rate of hospitalization during COVID-19 infection (p < 0,05
- females).
Conclusion. Males suffering from RA were diagnosed
sooner, while females with RA participated more in clinical research but were later introduced to innovative therapy.
The use of glucocorticoid therapy in the treatment of CA and
SCTD increased the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19
infection.
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